MUMBAI: The Indian government’s move to issue biometric-based unique ID numbers to cows and buffaloes in the country has raised eyebrows. Will the proposed scheme of tagging and tracking livestock work? Murali Krishnan reports.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government’s liking for cows is no secret. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Hindu nationalist allies have turned bovine protection into one of the most important topics of public discourse in the country over the past couple of years.
Cow vigilantes and right-wing Hindutva groups have also grabbed attention now and then with their vicious attacks on people suspected of mistreating cattle.
This enthusiasm is not shared by the government’s critics, who suspect the initiative could be misused to target minority and underprivileged communities under the pretext of cow protection. “This is finally going to be a witch-hunt and there is bound to be more targeted violence against minorities in the country in the years to come,” said Rasheed Khan, a dairy farmer in Delhi.
“There has been a string of cow-related violence against Muslims in the country. Bands of right-wing Hindus who seize the cows are operating essentially as private militias and that should be stopped,” D Raja of the Communist Party of India told DW.
Some also criticize Modi and the BJP, saying the scheme is an example of the administration’s misplaced priorities at a time when the nation faces a raft of pressing socioeconomic concerns. “This is nothing but an election gimmick. As it is an emotional issue, they are giving priority to a scheme which is not the need of the hour,” Dr M C Mishra, former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, told DW.
